


Learning Curb

by magicpiano



Category: Les Misérables - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Past Child Abuse, implied past starvation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-27
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:33:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25547497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicpiano/pseuds/magicpiano
Summary: Cosette didn’t seem to know how to be a child. Valjean figured he should consider that a good thing, after all, he didn’t know how to be a father either.
Relationships: Cosette Fauchelevent & Jean Valjean
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16
Collections: "holding shopping bags that are too heavy for them"





	Learning Curb

**Author's Note:**

> I am not really proud of this fic, but uhh here it is?  
> Please read the tags!

“What do you want, Cosette?” Every time they went to the grocery store, Valjean would ask Cosette the same question.

“I don’t want anything.” And every time, Cosette gave the same answer.

It was disappointing that she still didn’t feel comfortable enough with him to ask for anything, but he never pushed. She would speak when she was ready. In the meantime, Valjean was slowly buying his way through every type of food he could think of.

They had already eaten every recipe he could remember from his childhood, and every one his sister had taught him. He had now moved onto things he found on internet food blogs. He was slowly learning to gauge Cosette’s reactions and judge which foods she liked and which she ate without complaint because they had been placed in front of her.

And of course, he was slowly working his way through the dessert aisle. Every week he would buy two or three things, eventually he would buy one of everything. Before she moved in with him, she had never tasted sweets before, at least none she could remember. In Valjean's opinion, children deserved sweet things. So far, they were only a third of the way through the aisle and Cosette’s current favorite were shortbread cookies.

He had a special relationship with food, and unfortunately so did Cosette. He knew what it was like to be hungry, and it was something he would never wish on anyone, especially not a child.

Cosette was the perfect child. She was quiet and polite, never once complained and always did as she was asked. If Cosette had any problems at all, it was that she was too perfect.

Cosette didn’t seem to know how to be a child. Valjean figured he should consider that a good thing, after all, he didn’t know how to be a father either.

She seldom played with the toys that Valjean had bought her, and when she did, it was because Valjean had given her permission. Afterward, she would do chores Valjean never asked her to do to make up for it.

She didn’t act like a child, she acted like an adult trying to prove their worth.

If Valjean let the laundry sit for too long, she would start folding it. Immediately after dinner she would try to wash the dishes, when Valjean told her that he would do it, she would go make his bed. It seemed to be a never-ending cycle, she would find chores to do, Valjean would take them over, she would find another chore to do. In truth, he didn’t have any idea how to stop it.

When they came back from the grocery store, she was quick to get out of the car and immediately pick up the bags. He followed her out and took the bags out of her hands.

“Those look a bit heavy, I can carry them,” Valjean said with a smile.

The bags, which were heavy enough to make her small hands red, weighed nothing to him.

“It's not heavy,” Cosette insisted, “I can carry it.”

“I know you can,” Valjean answered with a pat on her head, “but you don’t need to.”

Across the street the neighbor’s kids were playing jump rope in their yard. They were laughing and smiling, Valjean wished Cosette could act that carefree.

“Why don’t you go play with the other kids?” Valjean asked.

Cosette’s head turned in the direction of the laughing children then back to him. “But what about the groceries?”

“I can take care of it,” Valjean assured her.

She seemed hesitant. So far, she has been a lonely child. She didn’t go outside without him and only talked to the other kids in the neighborhood when Valjean had encouraged her to do so. A child her age needed friends, but he was unsure how to give that to her.

“Are you sure?” Cosette asked hesitantly, like she couldn’t quite believe that it wasn’t her job to put away the groceries anymore.

“Positive.”

Cosette cautiously made her way across the street to the other children. Watching her go, Valjean felt a smile make its way across his face.

Valjean didn’t know much about being a father and Cosette didn’t know much about being a kid. It was going to be a tough learning curb for both of them, but hopeful they can learn from each other.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
